Schoonover has accepted a position as managing director of Berrien County Road Commission based in Benton Harbor. His first day in his new role will be Dec. 24.

Schoonover worked with the Michigan Department of Transportation for almost 12 years before coming to Ionia County in July 2000.

Leaving the road commission in Ionia County was a tough decision, he said.

"I really am going to miss this organization. The people here are simply fantastic to work with, and that has made this a very difficult decision," Schoonover said. "But it's a good opportunity down there. What I can offer to their organization and bringing them back into a cohesive and well-defined group will be beneficial for everybody."

Schoonover said he is the most proud that the road commission has been able to maintain the county's roads and bridges "as difficult as that has been" (given funding constraints), as well as bringing numerous safety projects to Ionia County over the years.

"I know them, and being aggressive has brought in millions of dollars of safety improvements," he said.

"His knowledge, from the state level and even at the national level, has made us aware of opportunities for future projects," she said. "He worked with MDOT to set up the state's safety program. By getting in on the bottom rung as it was setting up, we could get ahead of the curve.

"He's so involved in everything and knows his way around," Pohl added. "Our loss will be Berrien's gain. We're going to miss him."

Schoonover is "the engineer's engineer," said Herb Cusack of Lake Odessa, chair of the road commission.

"He's a real stickler for following guidelines, and has been really good at searching out programs that do our county well," he said. "We were rewarded in that way by having him on the road commission. That guy's got a lot on the ball. He's incredibly talented, and we're going to miss him, that's for sure."

Schoonover noted that he will continue to be the engineer of record for Ionia County on various projects already filed with MDOT until his replacement is hired early next year.

"One of the things that allowed me to consider employment elsewhere is I know I am leaving the road commission in very capable hands," he said. "They operate so well and do so much. I don't think it will be hard to replace me.